GALVESTON COUNTY, TEXAS — Rescue crews fanned out across the flooded Gulf Coast on Saturday, searching for tens of thousands of Texans who ignored mandatory evacuation orders just before Hurricane Ike crashed ashore in the night with howling winds and a powerful tidal surge.
Ike made landfall with 110-mph winds about 2 a.m. near the barrier island of Galveston, then blew through Houston, flooding streets, downing power lines and smashing the windows of downtown skyscrapers. Later in the day, it weakened to a tropical storm as it moved northeast toward Arkansas.
More than 3 million people were left without power by the 500-mile-wide storm, and utilities warned that it could be days or weeks before electricity is restored. Thousands more residents were feared stranded by swirling floodwaters. Authorities said they could not provide an accurate tally of the storm's damage because many roads were impassable and entire neighborhoods were cut off.
At least three deaths were listed as storm-related. Officials feared that the toll could mount, depending on the fates of people caught in areas that were supposed to be evacuated.
The storm's top tidal surge was 15 feet, well below the 20 to 25 feet predicted. But damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure was widespread, and the economic toll was considerable because the region's huge oil, natural gas and petrochemical industries were shut down.
Preliminary industry estimates put damage at $8 billion or more. Consumers nationwide faced rising gasoline prices, topping $5 a gallon briefly in some areas.
"The good news is that the surge was nowhere near as large as we thought it was going to be," Gov. Rick Perry said. "But there's still plenty of damage out there."
President Bush declared a major disaster in 29 Texas counties and 10 Louisiana counties and ordered immediate federal aid.
In addition to the millions without power in Texas, 140,000 people in Louisiana lost electricity, adding to the 60,000 still without power since Hurricane Gustav struck over Labor Day.
Rep. John Culberson, a Republican who represents some of the hardest-hit areas of Houston, called the power situation "a very significant problem."
"What do you do about perishable foods?" he asked. "How do you keep milk? Eggs? What do you do when people have ventilators that require electricity, and they don't have that in their home for weeks?"
